Laser illuminating detection and ranging (Lidar) systems have been used for remote sensing. Typically, a Lidar system illuminates a remote material. The remote material absorbs, transmits, or reflects illuminating signals. For differential absorption, the Lidars illuminate a diffuse gaseous material for chemical characterization where the Lidar illumination has two wavelengths, where one wavelength is absorbed and other is not, such that, a weaker return at the absorption wavelength will indicate the presence of the remote diffuse gaseous material. For conventional ranging, the Lidar illuminates a remote material and detects reflected returns. A Fresnel reflection, that is, an ordinary reflection, returns a small portion of the Lidar illumination. The presence of returns indicates that a reflecting material is present. The absence of returns indicates that a remote reflecting material has not been illuminated. The ranging Lidar system detects the presence or absence of returns for indicating the absence or presence of the remote ordinary reflecting material, respectively, using ordinary reflection returns for ranging, and not surface material characterization. A Lidar can be used as part of an instrument package for surface chemical characterization. Surface chemical characterization can be used on space probes orbiting distant and frozen worlds. For example, a space flight is being planned by NASA to go to three moons of Jupiter, including Callisto, Ganymede, and Europa. These moons have been selected for investigation because these moons appear to have the ingredients considered essential for life. The surface temperatures of these moons are cold so that common materials occur in the frozen form. A surface chemical characterization Lidar could be used for a mission to Jupiter as an icy moon orbiter. A priority science goal of the icy moon orbiter mission is to scout the potential for sustaining life. Identification and mapping of the surface constituents would provide important data towards this goal. Traditional means of surface characterization from orbit rely upon high-resolution spectral analysis of reflected sunlight or surface thermal emission. Because of the distant position from the sun to Jupiter, the moons receive little sunlight prohibiting analysis of sun reflections. Further, the low surface temperatures of the moons provide insufficient thermal radiation for high-resolution spectral analysis. These and other disadvantages are solved or reduced using the invention.